


Value of a moron

by ophidianpoet



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-25
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2018-02-06 05:06:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1845361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ophidianpoet/pseuds/ophidianpoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little core falls from space, back to the facility he once tried to take over. GLaDOS decides to share some feelings about that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Value of a moron

**Author's Note:**

> Done for Luke, as a reward for donating to my gofundme account for my legal name change (thanks man!!!)

Sadism had become part of her programming. She knew that. A small piece of her even suspected that it stemmed from Caroline wanting to get back at Cave for making her like this in the first place.  
GLaDOS made a quick note to have that part removed.  
But despite any lingering thoughts from the human she was based on, she knew she was going to get some real fulfillment out of what had just crash-landed on the floor in front of her.  
Her glowing yellow optic dipped lower in the chamber, observing the banged-up little core that had had the misfortune of falling back to Earth. Right back into her hands. She wasn’t about to let him get off with merely being allowed to float in space for eternity. His auxiliary power would eventually run out, leaving him unaware of what was happening. No. No, that was much too kind for this moron.  
GLaDOS engaged a set of robotic limbs from the floor, picking the little core up and turning him over. Not incredibly damaged. He was Aperture technology after all. Upon reflection, GLaDOS could almost see him as a sibling. Almost feel sorry for him. But the memory of him tearing her out of the mainframe still lingered fresh in her circuits.  
She opened a few ports on his casing, plugging him into a power source and waiting patiently for him to boot back up. The seconds ticked by with Wheatley lying inactive on the floor, but her patience was rewarded by his insipid blue optic slowly glowing back to life, opening and swivelling around slowly.  
“...where...this doesn’t look like space. Am I back in the facility…?” Wheatley rolled a bit on the floor to where he could face GLaDOS. “Oh, I am! And it’s _you_! Haha, you brought me back, this is incredible, I can’t believe-”  
“Shut up.”  
“Sorry?”  
“Say another word and I’ll launch you back into space.”  
GLaDOS picked him up, careful to keep the cables attached, bringing him level with her.  
“I didn’t bring you back here, you fell out of orbit. A complete accident. Just like everything else you’ve ever done.”  
“A...an accident? No, wait, d’you remember that time I took over the facility…” The hand holding Wheatley up clenched so hard one of the fingers cracked his optic lens, giving GLaDOS a satisfying “Ow!” from him.  
“Yes. That time when Chell did literally everything up to and including plugging you into the mainframe. I remember that.” She lowered him to the floor again, putting him within the reach of several more robotic limbs, which delicately flicked open a pair of input/output ports on the insufferable core’s back. Wheatley’s optic rotated as far as he could get it.  
“Alright, what’re y’doin’ back there? I can’t even see what ah! AHHH!”  
GLaDOS’s yellow optic narrowed in satisfaction. She had fed large quantities of junk files (names of test subjects, old staff desktop wallpapers, classical music) into both Wheatley’s open ports simultaneously, overstimulating his processors. After having been turned into a potato by that idiot, she rather enjoyed holding his weakly panting body in her palm.  
“Ugh...let’s not have you do that again, shall we?”  
“Oh. I’m sorry. For a moment, I believe you forgot who was in charge here. Sigh. I suppose such slip-ups are to be expected, when working with...a moron.”  
“I’m _not_ …” Wheatley began, but stopped short in horror as he realized where the robotic arms were currently dragging him: back to the core transfer receptacle.  
“NO! No no no, look, I get it, you’re in charge! You’re the brainy AI alright, not me, _please_ don’t put me back in there…”  
“I’ve made a few...alterations, to the core transfer process.” GLaDOS continued, over Wheatley’s terrified whimpering. “If initiated with a core already in place on the mainframe, the new core will be ejected, cancelling the process. It’s going to take quite a bit of energy to accomplish that without a human present, but I think we can manage.” Wire armatures wrapped around Wheatley and plugged him into the receptacle, and his blue iris widened at the familiar rush of suddenly being that much closer to the facility mainframe, and closer to GLaDOS herself. As such, he could now feel her quiet fury and indignant hatred bearing down on him like a weight.  
“You know, I rather like you like this. It seems actual helplessness is the only thing that can keep you quiet.” she said, lifting her head away from him and swivelling around to face the other side of the chamber. Wheatley didn’t say a word, hoping his silence would placate her.  
“However,” she turned slightly, and Wheatley could see her yellow optic glow just above him. “your screams would be much more gratifying.”


End file.
